The Crimson Dragonite
by ShadowOfShadows
Summary: A mysterious occurance, a long dead legend living again...but will those that want a piece of the legend stop at anything to get what they want? Story Complete.
1. The Legend Takes Root

**The Crimson Dragonite**   
-- By Shadow~Of~Shadows --

  
  
Long, long ago...before the time of television, telephone, even electricity...   
Before, even, the time of Pokéballs...   
A group of settlers moved from the haunted, desolate and barren fields of their home, and into boats, and across the waves. It was a perilous journey and many, many people and Pokemon alike perished among the waves. Some, however, managed to pull through. They arrived to an island, a very large one, filled with lush grasses, trees, fruits, all needed to sustain life. For those settlers, it was like paradise. They moved in immediately and felled trees to make houses, cleared some land, and made a good society.   
One day, however, that peace was upset by something. Such a cataclysmic event should have, by all rights, wiped out the island. However, it did not harm the island in the slightest. Such a thing was phenomally rare. In fact, it was likely that such a boon was ever granted before.   
And yet it was.   
Overnight, a loud rumbling ensued. A river of lava, too hot for the water to cool quickly, flowed out of the ocean bed and formed a ring around the island. The locals, frightened and confused, ran for their homes.   
Except for one boy.   
His very nature bespoke of confidence, though his overall size was nothing to boast about. For his size, however, he was exceptionally strong, and agile as well. He watched the ring of lava encircle the isle, and blinked a few crisped leaves out of his eyes from where lava heat had singed the trees on the shoreline. It was just then that it happened.   
He described it as a great flash of light, a soundless concussion, and something large flying around in a circle, or so it seemed, and as it flew around, a jagged line of mountains followed its path. He gasped, and watched, as gray rock-walls encircled the small isle.   
The birds of the island, Pidgeot and Fearow and their respective underevolutions for the most part, took flight, but could not outfly the mountains. They rose with unnatural speed until they were lost in the dark nighttime sky.   
The boy could only stare on in wonder, and horror, and knew already, and all too soon, what the morn would bring.   
It was then he saw it shining, down by the harbor. It was roughly elliptical in shape, more ovallish maybe. He ran down, his boots smacking against the soggy, warmish earth as he ran. He bent over when he was close enough and stared.   
At first he had thought that perhaps it was a coal or a clump of lava that had been jarred loose at the procession of the peaks, but he instead discovered that it was an egg of considerable size, glowing with an unearthly radience.   
He bent over to pick it up, then held it against his chest. It was unnaturally warm, and he was so startled that he nearly dropped it. However, he kept a tight hold, held it out at arm's length, and observed it.   
The shell must be thick, for when he tapped on it, the sound wasn't the thin hollowness of a Pidgey's egg, but a deeper clunk noise. The radience wasn't in the shell, it lay beneath. Almost like a fire.   
Unsure and startled, the boy took the egg and walked towards the most thickly forested part of the island. He would hide it--if the elders saw it, it would be proclaimed witchcraft, and swiftly destroyed...   
  
So began the Legend of the Crimson Dragonite...   
  
---   
  
~About 120 Years Later~   
  
Due to being unconnected to society and having never invented electricity, the Valley entered 2001 the same as they'd entered 1901. With hand-pulled carts and an air of simplicity. Girls still wore dresses, all the time. Boys and only boys were allowed to wear pants.   
The boy had grown up, had children, and died. His children in turn had had children, and it was one of his grand-daughters that inherited the most of his lively, adventurous spirit. She put it to good use--in her opinion. And practically ONLY in her opinion. Everybody else considered her a pest.   
Her name was Lyra, and she wanted to have a Pokemon of her very own.   
"Absurd..." her mother said. "Only working folk can have Pokemon. There are precious few now that the legendary Arcanine Bahou has died! His bloodline is the most famous and people will pay thousands to get puppies sired by him! Plus, they're too young to be of any use right now, and that's practically the only Pokemon in the valley unless you count the wild birds. Stop talking nonsense!"   
However, Lyra wasn't about to give up that easily. Each day she pestered her parents again and again and again, and everybody else she could find. They finally consented, and bought a Growlithe puppy.   
Lyra was entranced from the beginning. She named him Rex, and played with him everyday. He was bright-eyed, and very strong for such a small puppy, rather like Lyra and her famous grandfather.   
They grew up together, and 2004 dawned bright and clear. Lyra and Rex ran out one day to see the newest 'idiot' (or so her mother called them) mounting his Pidgeot to try and get above the mountain peaks. He flew off, but Lyra and even Rex knew that he'd be back by nightfall.   
And back he was. In fact, he crashed into the town square at a great speed, injuring his mount and breaking his arm. He gasped from a lack of rich oxygenated air, and rubbed his eyes with his good hand.   
"The air's too thin, and the peaks too high! No one can escape." Lyra's father said.   
"Indeed!" her mother said.   
"Hear hear!" a few townsfolk echoed.   
The young man, however, looked at them belligerently. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Where there's a will, there's a way?'" he asked sourly.   
The townsfolk gave him a reproving glace, as one, and a slight chuckle passed amongst them. They left the young man to be carted off by the local healer.   
It was then and there that Lyra decided she would find a way to leave.   
  
---   
  
She studied every map she could get her hands on--only to be turned back. None showed a pathway through the peaks. If one existed, it was likely too high to reach. The mountains themselves were very tough, almost like metal rather than rock, and impossible to dig through, even with years of effort.   
However, she didn't give up. She looked again and again, to be turned back, but never stopped looking. It mounted to almost an obsession. Then, one night, the dreams came.   
The first one was no more wondrous than the most recent, but she could remember them all. It was like she was flying, or being propelled through the air. She looked down into the valley--INTO it...from above the tops of the mountains! It was almost a speck, enough to fit on a small coin. She gasped in awe and worried at what would happen if she dropped. But drop she did--however, it was a slow drop, but not too slow. She passed mountains on each side, and finally descended into the valley.   
She flew out over the center of the forest in the middle of the island that was rarely ventured into, and saw something shining like a light. Then, a soft voice called out.   
"I am waiting for you, young one! Come, help, free me! Help me, my plight is great!"   
It was then that she would wake up.   
  
---   
  
It was one day a couple of weeks later when she decided to go into the forest during her waking hours. She packed some lunch, told her mother that she was going 'somewhere', and set out. She hacked through brush, trees and vines and bushes, pushing further and further into the forest. She became discouraged after a particularly long hike, and thought maybe it was all just a ruse. She sat down at the roots of a great tree to eat her lunch, and just as she finished her rough sandwich of brown bread, bacon, and grease, she heard a strange--singing.   
She threw away the crusts of the bread and stalked towards the noise. She came upon a clearing, and inside were the two halves of a shell that glinted most curiously...and next to it was a weakened Dratini. She had heard of them only in legend, and yet here one was. There was one curious thing about it, however; it was a deep crimson color. She took a step back when she saw it, hand going over her mouth. Rex, who was with her and walking alongside, barked. The Dratini looked up and a smile crossed his face. He hopped over...slithering, sort of, slowly, in a back forth motion, then coiled his body into a spring and BOUNCED into her arms! She was shocked at first and nearly fell over, but managed to remain standing. The Dratini looked into her eyes with his great black ones, and chirped, then seemed to clear his throat and said, "Oh young one, thank you much for saving me. I would not have lasted much longer...have you anything to eat?"   
Eyes wide, gaping, Lyra nodded dumbly and handed him an apple from her pack. He gobbled it down, burped slightly, and coiled around her neck, sighing with contentment. Lyra couldn't contain a giggle.   
Little did she know she had awakened the Crimson Dragonite...   
  
---   
  
_Four Years Later_   
Lyra looked at the long, slender Crimson colored Dragonair. He was stunning, in every aspect. Instead of the cool, icy blue color normally worn by their kind, he wore a crimson drapery. She thought it suited him just fine. Just then she noticed he'd said something.   
"Hm?" She said quietly.   
"Lyra, I think I'm going to evolve...again...and soon." he said. Rex, still the faithful Growlithe, barked agreement.   
Lyra was instantly alarmed. Last time he'd evolved, the entire island had been thrown into a violent storm, which was rare. Not many storms formed because the atmospheric clouds didn't pass through the mountain peaks well.   
"When?" she said. "Do you know when? Or just..a feeling? Like..soon?"   
"Soon." he said, then coiled up, agitated. "Today."   
"Today?!" she nearly exploded. She looked at the sky. "When today?"   
He took a deep breath, even as his crimson skin began to glow and pulsate. "Now."   
  
To be Continued...sorry if it was a bit short, the second chapter will be longer...much longer. 


	2. Escape and Capture

The Crimson Dragonite   
Chapter 2   
"Escape."   
-- By Shadow~Of~Shadows --

  
  
Disclaimer: Oops, I forgot this part last time! ^.^;; Gomen. I don't own Pokémon, so there. If the Pokémon people want to sue me and take my 37 cents, I guess they can. It doesn't seem very reasonable though...   
  
On to the story!   
  
---   
  
Lyra gasped in awe, and fright, the same kind of feeling you sometimes get from watching somebody do flips, on a tightrope, minus the net. Her Crimson Dragonair was quietly glowing until suddenly he shrieked, a grating sound that gained intensity with every second. Rex howled along with him, until both voices joined in an unlikely, and admittedly strange, harmony.   
  
It was then that the real transformation began.   
  
About a third of the Dragonair's tail, the very end section, remained unchanged; save for the removal of the ruby-red and glowing baubles that had adorned the very end. The rest of his body, however, was shifted totally. It bunched up, becoming a wiry and muscular form, fit to power the huge wings that now extended from his shoulder blades, which were also new. He sported arms, and legs, now, adorned with sharp claws. The rather feathery ear-flaps shifted into smooth, antennae like appendages, and his rather sharpish horn smoothed out into a blunter one.   
  
When the mists and the glow cleared, a Dragonite stood before Lyra. His huge seven foot and three inch frame dwarfed her own five feet and seven inches, by comparison; his very nature bespoke of a large agility that she'd never seen before. His dark, crimson stained skin was unlike that of a normal Dragonite's honeyed tan color, looking almost like he'd been washed through with a dark blood color. His other accents were black; his wing membranes, the antennae-like appendages, his sharp and deadly claws, his underbelly. His dark, mysterious, almond-shaped eyes glinted strangely...mysteriously. Lyra finally discovered her voice.   
  
"You...you DID evolve!" she exulted.   
  
"And we...are leaving." he stated, simply. It was a fact.   
  
She gaped. "What, when?" she stuttered, amazed, and torn between a strange yearning feeling and the fear of leaving everything she'd ever known.   
  
"Now, while the time is right." he said quietly. "The longer we wait, the harder it will be. Outside, we will find a way to survive and live, I am sure."   
  
She swallowed. "A-are you sure?"   
  
"Absolutely positive."   
  
"Well, okay...here, Rex." she said. Rex ran up to her and hopped onto her lap as she climbed onto the gleaming crimson back of the Dragonite.   
  
"Call me Blood." he said. She shuddered at the horrific name.   
  
"Why...Blood?" she inquired.   
  
"It all has to do with my past. It's a horrible past, but it is...my past." With that, he said no more.   
  
She hung on for dear life as the great Pokémon pumped his powerful wings, taking flight. She hung on, along with Rex, as he lifted up. They passed through the tree line, and higher, and she saw the whole inside of the valley. It wasn't until the valley grew miniscule and they passed through the first layer of clouds that she realized how high they were already. A few more layers of clouds passed, and the air began to get thin. She took a shuddering gasp, her lungs locking from shock, and Blood quietly spoke.   
  
"Don't worry about the air. Simply breathe, I will take care of you."   
  
She discovered it was true. She breathed in, and it was as if she was in the oxygen-rich forest again. They went higher, and higher, and higher still, breaking through more and more layers of clouds. At last, they broke through the last one, and Lyra gasped, beset by glory. A white, untainted landscape was spread before her, and sunbeams danced down onto the tops, turning some of the clouds a rich golden color. She looked around, whispering to herself quietly, and Rex barked softly.   
  
"Now, we are free. The escape is over, and our life has begun." Blood said, and flapped his wings once, then lowered his angle slightly, flying out over the ocean and towards the mainland.   
  
---   
  
Three Team Rocket secret agents were nearby, in a helicopter. Merlin Darkmoon, a strange guy with a hidden past; Maria Juarez, a girl of hispanic descent raised on the coastline, and their Pokémon helper, smarter than most humans, and with the ability to talk; Shadow, a Persian. Maria was sitting at one of the open sides, for it was a combat-type helicopter, with open sides so that soldiers could pile out quickly. It seated about ten, all told, so they had plenty of room, and it was a nondescript green military color. She was secured in place by a harness, but still, she didn't worry about falling. She'd never been scared of heights.   
  
Merlin was manning a radar and bioheat scanning unit, which they were using to search for rare Pokémon near the Legendary Ring. It was called the Legendary Ring because sonar and so on reports recorded that though it looked an impossibly high mountain, it was hollow inside. Which, in itself, was strange, for not even the strongest rock-melting acids could eat through the thing. However, some rare Pokémon had been spotted near the thing in the past--namely, the ultimately rare Houou. (AN: I will NOT use the English spelling, sorry.)   
  
"Getting anything?" Shadow asked. Her voice was hoarse and deep, but strangely commanding. If she was a human, she definately would have been a leader of some sort. Taking a glance at their Pokémon partner, Maria reflected, the leader of a crime group of some sort, no doubt about that...   
  
Shadow was a rough old campaigner. She'd been through it all. She was covered with scars, not making her the most attractive Pokémon ever, but she wasn't in the line of work to win beauty shows. Her huge claws and fangs, accompanied by her strange and uncanny ability to seem to melt into the nearest shadow and then attack, running, made a perfect pair for HER work: hit and run.   
  
"Nope, not a single blip." Merlin said. He pushed a shock of unruly black bangs out of his crystalline blue eyes and punched in a few coordinates and fired up the scanners again, then turned to look at his companions again. "How are you two holding up?"   
  
"Fine." Shadow said. Preferring action over words, she released her vocal ability only when it was needed, in HER opinion.   
  
"Oh, I'm okay." Maria said. For hispanic heritage, she didn't look it...her beautiful, shiny blue hair was accented by her pale skin and almost-violet eyes. Merlin suspected if maybe she'd been adopted, or abandoned and found by the Juarez family. However, it wasn't his place to ask such things, so he turned back around to the console.   
  
"Hey, I've got something on the radar!" he said suddenly. "Bioheat says three forms. The largest one...it looks like a Dragonite!"   
  
"A Dragonite?" Shadow said, immediately interested. "Set a course."   
  
"Right away." Merlin said, taking the control stick in one hand and punching buttons with the other.   
  
---   
  
"Wow, this is beautiful!" Lyra said, looking over the rippling waves. "I've never seen this much water, ever!"   
  
"It's called the ocean." Blood explained. Rex barked agreement, then sat up straighter. He barked three times.   
  
"Rex hears something..." Lyra said, eyebrows knitting together. "What is it, Rex?" Just then she heard it. A hollow thwap-thwap-thwap sound.   
  
"What's that?" she asked, confused. She'd never heard a sound like that. Even Blood, with his considerable knowledge, didn't know. Then, they saw the helicopter. They were dumbfounded at first...it was huge! It had people inside! And how was it hanging in the air, unsuspended? Suddenly, the helicopter shot at them, and Blood got hit in the wing. As he started to drop and Lyra and Rex screamed, and howled, respectively, Merlin pulled the Helicopter at the perfect angle and they dropped inside. Straightening it out instantly, they dropped to the floor. Maria and Shadow tied down Blood and Lyra, plus Rex, pulled away to the side. Lyra immediately fell over, where a struggling Blood was, well, bleeding.   
  
"Merlin, it's...it's...RED!" Maria shouted. Lyra looked at Maria in astonishment. The girl wasn't wearing a dress, but pants! The cat Pokémon beside her was just as alien. Also, she was far too worried about Blood to take a different action.   
  
"Blood, are you okay?" she asked. Shadow paced up to her.   
  
"Who are you?" Shadow snarled. Lyra jerked back, but kept a hand on Blood's forearm.   
  
"My name is Lyra. Lyra's all you need to know." she said, a bit more gruffly than she'd intended.   
  
Shadow wasn't impressed. "Drug her and the Growlithe." she told Maria, then stepped back as Maria jammed something into Lyra's arm and the Growlithe's leg.   
  
"Huh...what..." Lyra said, dozing off. She had a last impression of being strapped into something before passing out completely.   
  
---   
  
When the Rockets arrived back at their base some time later, they were warmly recepted when they said they'd brought in a Pokémon. After approval and payment by the boss, the Pokémon was shipped to the labs, and the girl and the Growlithe to a brig cell...who knows what will become of them...   
  
To be continued... 


	3. Realization of Disaster

**The Crimson Dragonite**   
Chapter Three   
"Realization of Disaster."   
By Shadow~Of~Shadows

  
  
Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine, and suing me wouldn't do a whole lot of good anyway...   
  
---   
  
Lyra finally awoke from her induced slumber a considerable amount of time later. She stared around, and saw only darkness. Shaking the fuzziness of sleep from her eyes, she blinked. It was still dark.   
  
She reached out and felt of one of the walls. It was cold, damp stone. Tracing it to the bottom, she found that a small pool of water had collected there. She shuddered, for who knew what was hidden down here?   
  
Certainly not her...   
  
All of a sudden it came back to her in a flash. The strange contraption, the two strange people, the equally strange Pokémon, and how her and Rex and Blood had been...   
  
Blood! Rex! Where were they? Could they be in this same cell? She didn't know how large it was.   
  
"Blood?! Rex!" she said, quietly, voice scratchy from being unused for so long. She swallowed, throat barely functioning, and heard an answering whimper from somewhere to her left. She shuffled in that direction. "Rex?"   
  
She heard a weak bark, from directly in front of her, and threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around the Growlithe. "Rex, are you okay?" she asked him. He barked in reply. She didn't know how she could understand him, but she could. Yes, he was okay, just a bit shaken and his head was a bit fuzzy. Lyra smiled. At least he was okay. She carefully led him back over to the pool of water, because she'd felt a piece of somewhat dry wood around here somewhere. Maybe she could use it as a torch.   
  
She found it again, and picked it up. She grabbed it by the narrower end, and held the larger, thicker end up to Rex's nose.   
  
"Here, Rex, can you light this?" she asked. He barked an affirmative and spat a tiny, _very_ tiny ember on it. The drier wood at the top caught flame and Lyra held the torch up to look around.   
  
The room wasn't very big--it was almost medieval as cells go. The walls were dank, damp gray stone, the floor the same. Water trickled down some walls and collected in pools, like the one she'd originally found. She held up the torch a little and looked around, sadly. Blood wasn't here. She wondered where he was. The only way in--or out--was a VERY thick and equally solid metal door. It was so thick that if Rex could work up a blaze big and hot enough to melt through it, she'd burn to death. She sighed, sadly, and looked around again, then put the torch in the gap between two stones and began collecting loose spars of wood. They weren't sturdy enough to use for weapons, and she didn't know where they'd come from, but they'd be excellent as torches.   
  
---   
  
Merlin Darkmoon leaned against the bars of the Dragonite's cage and looked inside. His tranquilizer rifle was leaning against a nearby wall, but he hoped he didn't have to use it. This magnificent beast was obviously mourning. He rubbed one of the cold, metal bars with his glove, and felt the chill come through the black leather. The Dragonite was lying on that same cold metal. Why didn't he get cold?   
  
He then heard something. At first he thought it was his imagination, but then he realized it wasn't. He heard a pitiful whisper, barely loud enough to register or dicepher, and leaned closer to the metal. He realized it was the Dragonite.   
  
"Lyra...Lyra...where are you?" he whispered, over and over, unceasing. Merlin walked around to that side of the cage, his natural compassion towards Pokémon overcoming his Rocket training. His own Pokémon were his friends until the end, and he felt sorry for this one. He kneeled in front of the cage and looked into the Dragonite's sad, crimson-tinted eyes.   
  
"Is Lyra...your trainer? The girl who was with you?" Merlin asked quietly, but sure that the Dragonite could hear him.   
  
"Lyra...is not a trainer yet...she only has me, and Rex..." he coughed. "Plus, she comes from the ... past."   
  
Merlin looked at Dragonite. "What do you mean?"   
  
The Dragonite turned his full attention and gaze to Merlin. "You must promise me that you will never tell anybody, not even your friends or your boss, even under pain of death. If you tell anybody you will be responsible for the destruction of a civilization."   
  
Merlin turned his icy-blue gaze to the Dragonite's. "I promise."   
  
The Dragonite nodded. "Call me Blood, that is my name." he said, then began his tale.   
  
---   
  
Many, many years ago, a group of settlers struck out to find a new place to live. They travelled across the ocean and finally found a lush island. It was rather big, on the very brink of huge, and had natural springs that would last them a lifetime, the sea for fishing, forests for fruit and natural trade, and several natural species of Pokémon, mostly of the bird-kind. They settled down to enjoy a good life.   
  
However, they did not know that they had disturbed the secret island of the ancients. The ancients decided to ring in the island as a punishment for the unholy tresspassing, and enlisted the help of the almighty Black and Crystal Dragonites to do so. With a crack and a pop, the Black Dragonite used his powers to make the night unearthly, frightening all but one back to their homes. The Crystal used her powers to ring the island with lava, then they both pulled it up into the ring that surrounds the island to today. Though it appears to be rock, it is an amalgam created by the two most powerful Dragonites in history. Acid, carving, nothing will go through it. A few things might, but they would be equally destructive to the rest of the world, I imagine. Anyway, the Black and Crystal Dragonites were my mother and father. They had several other children, I understand, which escaped and formed the first colonies, but they dropped my egg onto the beach on accident. The one person that had been brave enough to watch it all picked up my egg, and had the intelligence and compassion to hide it.   
  
His name was Terrence Quicksilver. An odd last name, but it fits. All of his kin are somewhat small, but quick, both of body and mind. Lyra is his grand-daughter. They all have the same characteristics. Silver hair, violet eyes, bold spirit. The truth about your "Legendary Ring" is that it surrounds the island. They have no advanced technology. They still use horse-pulled carts and plows today. Girls still wear dresses, and children are strictly obedient, except for her. She was amazed at your...helicopter? I'm still new at this...and wanted to know what it was. She doesn't know that much, but she is so willing to learn.   
  
---   
  
Merlin listened to it all in a dumb silence. Two legendary Dragonites had created the ring? It seemed crazy...impossible...but it all fit. He nodded dumbly when Blood finished, and uttered a single phrase. "I understand. I won't tell anybody. I'm going to help get you and Lyra and Rex out of here. Stay here, in this cage, and don't misbehave. That way if I'm gone it'll make less of a fuss." with that, he walked over to the other wall, picked up his tranq rifle, and walked towards his room.   
  
He reached it a few minutes later. It wasn't a bad room, just a little small. A bed, a desk, a tiny bathroom with barely enough space for a shower and a toilet, a small table, and a fairly small color TV. He threw the rifle onto the bed, pulled out a drawer in the desk, took out a sheet of paper and a pen, and wrote some things down. Another drawer and he found rounds of ammunition. Opening the closet door, he pulled out some 'normal' clothing, in this case, black jeans, a black t-shirt, and black combat boots. Even when in his Team Rocket uniform, his theme was obsessively black. He also pulled out a pistol and two knives, which went into hidden sheathes on his body. He then sent out his Umbreon, nicknamed Midnight. She looked almost out-of-place in the brightly lit room, the light surrounding everything crashing against the dark shadows that framed her body. Her golden rings gleamed dully.   
  
He then proceeded to tell her what Blood had told him. He might have been breaking his promise, but he trusted Midnight deeply, and she in return respected him greatly. She nodded when he was done. Changing into his street clothes, he tucked his pistol into a hidden holster and gritted his teeth as he laced up the combat boots as tight as they'd go. Midnight trailing behind him, he walked to Maria's room.   
  
---   
  
Maria had never revealed her past, or her sixth Pokémon, to anybody. Was it because they went together? Yes, and more than that, it was because of an expression of trust.   
  
Her sixth Pokémon sat before her now, her past locked safely away inside. Her sixth Pokémon was a wonder, and if Giovanni ever found out, he'd clone it within an inch of its life.   
  
She didn't want to tell anybody she had what she thought to be the world's only Fleureon.   
  
Many scientists and geneticists would pay millions, even billions, perhaps more, for a grass Eevee evolution. It shouldn't have been possible--an Eevee just did not have the genetic makeup to support evolution by a Leaf stone. Not even the newly discovered Solar stone had any effect. It seemed that Eevee DNA had three empty spaces, and when a radioactive stone was presented, it filled in one of these three, causing a shift in the DNA and a radical change, an evolution. A similar thing happened in almost every other Pokémon, with a handful of exceptions. Two more 'empty spaces' were found later on the Eevee DNA, though these were triggered, oddly enough, by a severe release of hormones for happiness. Several other Pokémon were catalouged that had this same effect. But, even MORE oddly in Maria's opinion was the fact that a SIXTH, VERY tiny and unreactive 'open spot' on the Eevee genetic code had been discovered.   
  
Odder still was the fact that nobody cared.   
  
She'd never told anybody that her parents and brother were geneticists. That they'd created an ultra-powerful Leaf stone that had had horrific and terrible, terrible affects on her brother. And that it had evolved an Eevee. Into a plant type Pokémon.   
  
In the end, both her parents and her brother died. The reason she hadn't? Away at summer camp. She returned, learned, and felt helpless. Finding a note in code on the table from her long-gone brother, she followed it to a secret room at the back of the lab. And found her Fleureon.   
  
She was delicate, and looked almost weak from a viewpoint, like a delicate flower. However, her powers were not weak. Her legs were thin, her body a pale, delicate green, her paws and whippy, vine-like tail the soft tan of a rose's thorns. At the end of her tail, a leaf bobbed. Its edges were, miraculously, sharp. A small clump of leaves sat in between her two long ears, which were tipped in tan as well, and her neck was frilled by a large mane of beautiful petals, which ranged from a beautiful dark pink to a lighter, softer pink.   
  
She was proud of her fighter, even though she didnt' fight much.   
  
"Fleu?" Fleureon inquired in her soft voice. She heard somebody coming.   
  
Jerking out a Pokéball, Maria put Fleureon inside quickly, just as Merlin rapped on the door.   
  
She walked over and opened it. "What's going on?"   
  
"We have to rescue the girl and her Dragonite. No time to explain, we just have to do it." he said.   
  
Still confused, Maria, who was already changed from her TR uniform to jeans and a t-shirt, followed him out and down to the brig. He'd used his superior hacking abilities to get through this. "Direct order from the boss, we're to take the girl and the Growlithe for questioning." Merlin said with all the gruffness he could muster.   
  
The guard nodded and shook his head, then opened the door. Merlin was amazed at what he saw. She'd found spars of wood and had her Growlithe light them, then set them in cracks in the stones, like torches. Her plain blue dress was muddy in places, and those uncomfortable looking leather shoes couldn't be holding up too well. The Growlithe sniffed, and gave his bushy tail a wag.   
  
"Don't worry, follow us. I'm helping save you and Blood." Merlin said quietly. Lyra nearly jumped when he said Blood but nodded and stood, then snapped her fingers for Rex to follow. She followed them out of the cell, down the hall, and back to Lyra's room. Maria had noted that Lyra was about her size, so she tossed her some clothes and some shoes. Lyra noticed that Maria had given her pants instead of a skirt and inwardly wondered, but decided to wear them anyway.   
  
_I don't understand this place..._ she told herself, _But I do need to blend in!_   
  
When she was done getting dressed, Merlin walked back in the room and started outlining his plan for an escape. However, what he didn't know was that there was a surveilance camera in every room...or that the boss was watching at this very moment...   
  
To be continued... 


	4. Flight to Fight

**The Crimson Dragonite**   
Chapter 4   
"Flight to Fight"   
By: Shadow~Of~Shadows

  
  
Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine. If it was, I'd be rich...oh yes, some content in this chapter is more PG-13 than PG, but still not THAT bad...   
  
Giovanni sat back in his chair, an evil smirk lingering on his face. "So. They're going to escape, are they? And what's this about the legendary ring? Imagine how much money we could make..." he turned to his Persian, Anterole. "Tail them. You have my permission to kill if neccessary."   
  
Anterole hissed softly. Killing was fun, and he was ready. He loped off into the darkess, even as an evil chuckle slipped from Giovanni's mouth.   
  


---

  
  
"Right...so, we fake our deaths, then we get fake ID's and go to this Fuschia place?" Lyra said again, more to fix the plan in her mind than anything else. She tugged on her pants leg, somewhat unsettled both by being robbed of her skirts after years of wearing them, and at the risky plan they were going to pull of.   
  
_Hey, losing your skirts isn't THAT bad..._ she told herself. _You were always complaining, hot in summer, cold in winner, get wet easy, clumsy...and look! Now you're wearing pants! You should rejoice! You've always wanted to!_ Allowing herself a slight inward smile, she sat back in her chair.   
  
"Yes, that's it." Merlin said again. His Umbreon came in and curled up at his feet, handing a Pokéball to Merlin. He transferred it to Lyra. She hugged it gratefully and put it in her pocket, looking at the dark Pokémon and thinking. Umbreon...that had been a new one for her. Then again, the only Pokémon she'd seen until she came here were Fearow, Spearow, Growlithe, Arcanine, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, and Rattata...besides the crimson Dratini, Dragonair and Dragonite that Blood was. She casted an approving glance towards Shadow. The Persian wasn't sleek, nor her fur silky, in fact it was matted with dirt and blood in places, had an almost grayish tinge to it, and upset in places by lines of scar tissue. But Lyra was still enthralled at the cat Pokémon. So swift, so quiet, and so FAST! Lyra had never seen anything move that fast.   
  
"We'd better get going..." Maria said urgently. Lyra turned her glance to the blue-haired youth. Though both of their eyes bore the unusual color of violet, hers were darker than Maria's. Lyra's were closer to the indigo end of the spectrum, and Maria's were an almost electric purple. Lyra couldn't shake the feeling that Maria was hiding something, though.   
  
"Right." Merlin said. He looked at the other two and pulled out one of his knives. "This is going to hurt, but it's the most believable. Here, hold out your palms." glancing inquiringly at each other, the girls obeyed.   
  
Merlin was quick and drew the knife across their palms quickly. They both shouted out when he did it and when he looked at them apologetically they quieted. "Now sling that blood around this room. Don't worry, just do it!"   
  
He then whispered to Maria. She nodded, and screamed, "MERLIN IS KILLING ME!! TRAITOR!!! AAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!" very loudly and threw herself onto the ground as hard as she could, creating a loud thud. Instantly voices rose in the corridor. Making sure that the dresser was shoved against the door, Merlin cut the power cord to the surveillance camera with a quick leap. "He can't watch us anymore. He won't know we're going to Ecruteak instead of Fuschia. We still have so little time."   
  
Suddenly he grimaced. "This is going to hurt." he told himself quietly. The girls cast scared glances at him and when Maria saw what he was doing she shouted, "No! Merlin!"   
  
But it was too late. He slung the knife across both of his palms and let a good amount of his blood drain out, growing paler by the second. Once the room was bloody enough, he let out another of his Pokémon. "Aerodactyl..."   
  
"Aa--aerooo!" the huge Prehistoric Pokémon screeched. It was barely small enough to fit in the room and wasted no time making an exit--by slamming the entire outer wall down with its long, jagged tail.   
  
Merlin grabbed Maria by the shoulders. "Listen to me! You two get on Aero's back and hang on tight! This is going to be tricky!" he said. They nodded and got on, Maria not even noticing the bloody handprints on her shoulders. Once Aero was outside, he took off a bit and waited on a crag. Merlin suddenly shouted and lept out the window. It was perfect--Aero dived and grabbed Merlin in his clawed feet, carefully handling the teen so as not to tear him up more than he already had been. To all the other Rockets--and yes, even Giovanni--it looked perfect--Maria had obviously found some way to cut Merlin up and set her Aerodactyl on him--she was riding on its back!--and it had grabbed him. No doubt she was going to dispense of the traitor and come straight back. Inwardly, though, Giovanni was very upset that they hadn't run off after all. Anterole wouldn't get a chance to kill them, and neither would they get a chance to punish them. All the same...   
  


---

  
  
Anterole padded down a hallway, unaware of the goings on. He'd find Shadow and cut her up good...she was older than him...the cocky young Persian allowed himself a hiss of sure tasted victory, sweet as blood. Suddenly he snarled and choked, and felt something hot running down his front. He bent his head forward and his head lolled strangely. Something had--slit his throat? He fell over with a sigh.   
  
Shadow ran from the scene, not even celebrating her victory. She allowed herself a brief lick of her claws, tasting the quickly cooling blood of her foe. That young Persian had been too cocky. One NEVER celebrated one's foe's demise until that foe was vanquished. And Shadow knew better than to allow herself to celebrate now.   
  
Following back paths and twisty alleys, Shadow made a careful way out of the hideout, and towards Ecruteak at a blistering pace, sticking strictly to the shadows. She would use all her wits, and she would be safe.   
  


---

  
  
Aero was blisteringly fast. Lyra was amazed when Maria handed her a fake ID and hissed something in her ear. "Be careful. Your new name is Susan." she advised the younger girl and worriedly looked down at Merlin. He'd been pressing both palms together to stem the flow of blood, but it had helped only slightly. The pale ex-Rocket was smeared with his own blood and small bits of the other's. His hands were stuck together by dried and drying blood, and it looked for all the world like he was in a sick parody of prayer. Perhaps he was praying. Despite his unfortunate line of work and desperate and dangerous life, Merlin was a religious person. Maria shook her head, feeling unusual pangs of concern for her partner. Why was it that when they were both shot up with bullets she wasn't as worried as when he lost a lot of blood and looked pale as death? Was it because it was self inflicted? Or was it just because of the stress of the day? Unsure what to think, she settled for sighing desperately.   
  
"We're here, Merlin!" she called down. "Or should I say John." He looked up at her with a weak grin, then let his head fall. She needed to get him to a hospital. They could pay for it--they'd accumulated a lot of money between themselves and hidden it in a bank account. Aero landed awkwardly, putting Merlin down and extending his legs for a delayed landing. He bounced, almost, his tough legs absorbing the shock, before stopping. Maria and Lyra ran off and over to Merlin. They helped him to his feet and braced him as he wobbled crazily. A turbulent flight wasn't good for a person that had lost a lot of blood, quite obviously! Maria recalled Aero for him and they hustled him to the nearest hospital, despite his frequent pleas that he was okay.   
  


---

  
  
After getting Merlin in the hospital, Maria and Lyra exchaged their bloodied clothes for some Maria had brought with her. They left the hospital to go look around and get their Pokémon healed. They explained away Blood's color at the PokéCenter as an odd crossbreed and left. They made several quick errands after that, running back to the hospital as soon as they could manage.   
  
"What other Pokémon do you have, Maria?" Lyra asked curiously. She'd only seen Maria's noble Kingdra, because he had been let out of his Pokéball to check on a fin infection.   
  
"Ampharos, Charizard, Sandslash, and Xatu." she said. "I only have five Pokémon."   
  
"Really?" Lyra said, confused. "Then why do you keep six Pokéballs?"   
  
"Well," Maria launched into her lie. "I always keep a spare in case I come across a really rare Pokémon or one I just can't live without." she explained.   
  
"Oh, I see." Lyra said in an understanding way. "I only have Growlithe and Dragonite..." she looked down at Rex appreciatively and he gave her a Growlithe grin. "What Pokémon does Merlin have?"   
  
She took a deep breath. "He has, besides Umbreon, Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon, and Espeon, and also Aerodactyl. His family used to be Pokémon raisers and gene splicers, and he saved a batch of Eevees that were going to be culled because they didn't have the proper 'code' to evolve into a mutant superpowered Pokémon his family was trying to create. He left after they did that." she said quietly. "And I do not blame him in the least."   
  
Lyra gave her new friend a sort of an odd look just as something tumbled onto the path at her feet. "Huh?"   
  
It was...small. yellow, a Pokémon, she realized...but it was so tiny! It couldn't be much more than a foot tall! It had ludicrously huge black ears with a yellow rib down the middle and a tiny black lightning bolt tail, plus a spiky black ruff around its neck. It squealed in a high-pitched voice and she noticed it was covered with bruises. "What happened to it?"   
  
"I don't--" Maria began, but just then she heard an angry shout and a Bayleef burst out of the nearby bushes. A trainer followed, a savage looking girl with spiky blond hair and green eyes. "You stupid little Pichu! You lost the most important battle of my life! You oughta die for that!" she began. "Bayleef! Razor Leaf!"   
  
"No!" Lyra yelled. "Rex, take the hit!" She ordered. Rex, as mad as his master, lept in the path of the sharp leaves.   
  
"Flamethrower attack!" She shouted. Rex howled and flames burst forth from his mouth. The flames were the brightest she'd seen--bright orange and yellow fading to a deep crimson red and with a strong blue heart. The Bayleef was singed and nearly collapsed, burnt.   
  
"I'm not going to kill your Pokémon because that's the act of a coward!" Lyra shouted. She bent to pick up the Pichu in her arms. "I'm taking this Pokémon and if I so much as see you lay a hand on any Pokémon again in violence or anger, I'm going to hunt you down and kill you myself!" The other trainer couldn't dodge the fury in Lyra's violet eyes and instead recalled her Bayleef and ran.   
  
Feeling slightly embarassed by her outburst, Lyra turned back to Maria to find the girl watching her with an unreadable expression. Clearing her throat slightly, she asked Maria, "What Pokémon is this? It's pretty cute..."   
  
Maria smiled. "That's a Pichu. It's the youngest form of a Pokémon called Raichu. It can grow up to be pretty strong, but it looks hurt. We'd better take it to the Pokémon Center and get it fixed up."   
  
Lyra held the Pichu tightly, protectively as Maria led the way back to the Pokémon Center. She bent slightly to allow Rex to sniff the small mouse Pokémon. He wagged his tail and grinned a Growlithe grin approvingly.   
  
"Rex, this is our new friend. She.." she didn't know how the Pichu was female, she just...knew, "Is going to be training with US from now on."   
  
Rex nodded his approval and let out a small bark of satisfaction. Turning her attentions to the Pichu, Lyra whispered in her ear kindly, "I'm not going to leave you alone or let anybody abuse you again, you hear?"   
  
The Pichu let out a small squeak of satisfaction and closed her eyes. They made it to the PokéCenter not long after.   
  


---

  
  
After a quick bout of explaining things to the nurse, the Pichu was healed and given back to Lyra. The nurse smiled. "It's good to see young people as caring as you." She told Lyra.   
  
Lyra nodded. "Thanks for healing Pichu." she said. She looked surprised when the nurse handed her two Pokéballs. "These are more convenient to carry your Pokémon in than just letting them walk around. If you'd like decorative Apricorn balls, I can give you the address of a man in Azalea..." just then the phone rang. "Oops, well, just go to azalea if you're interested!" she said. "Now, I have to get the phone."   
  
Lyra looked at the Pokeballs. They were smooth and shiny, made of some kind of...plastic or something? Blood was in one. She hadn't given it much thought. Back on the island they'd hollowed out Apricorns, fitted them with a risky device, and hoped it worked. Sometimes the Pokémon died. These didn't look like they'd make the Pokémon die.   
  
Befuddled, she'd realized that she'd been talking to other people and saying "Pokéball" in a common manner as if she knew about it all along! Shaking her head, she put the Pokéballs in a pocket and laughed when the Pichu climbed onto her shoulder. "Shouldn't we go check on Merlin?"   
  


---

  
  
They walked into the hospital room not long later. Merlin was awake, his hands wrapped in gauze, and waiting in the front lobby. "I was just going to come after you..." he started, then saw the Pichu on Lyra's shoulder. "Oh, cute, a Pichu. Where'd you catch it, Lyra?"   
  
"It was being abused," she explained, "So I helped it out. She's mine now." she said, smiling at the small Pokémon. The Pichu squeaked and Rex barked approval. Both ex-rockets smiled.   
  


---

  
  
Giovanni gritted his teeth as they informed him that Anterole had been found dead. So many of his plans were going wrong. He still knew the location of an old colony, now.   
  
"Procure as many nuclear warheads as you can, Commander Zarchi!"   
  
"Yes, sir."   
  
_To be Continued..._


	5. Plots Unleashed

**The Crimson Dragonite**   
Chapter 5   
"Plots Unleashed."   
By: Shadow~Of~Shadows

  
  
Sorry this took so long to get out, but unfortunately, life interfered.   
  
Disclaimer: Pokémon is not mine. I just write about it!   
  


---

  
  
Lyra, Merlin, and Maria, under the guises of Susan, John and Kristi, walked out of the hospital and into the bright sunlight. Merlin threw up one of his hands to block the glare, having lost his sunglasses.   
  
The three looked around, then started making their way towards Goldenrod City, where they were going to meet up with a few 'friends', or so Merlin said. On the way, they talked, unawares of what was going on, and how much danger the world was going to be in.   
  


---

  
  
_Deep under the sea, she slept.   
  
Something passed by overhead.   
  
It whistled. The music reached her ears.   
  
Soon, all would be chaos?   
  
Chaos must be prevented.   
  
She awoke._   
  


---

  
  
Giovanni chuckled evilly as the texts came back to him. They'd procured the world's most powerful missles. He didn't know how they'd done it, but they had.   
  
And all the better for him.   
  
"Procure a cruiser, and set a course for the Legendary Ring. Take helicopters, figher planes, and...the missles." he ordered.   
  
"As you wish, sir."   
  


---

  
  
The three travellers made their way to Goldenrod without any problems, and as Maria took Lyra off to educate her on the wiles of Department Stores, Merlin walked into the underground path, into a series of secret chambers. He was careful to avoid the gaze of the various vendors that had set up shop in the damp darkened area (he couldn't imagine why in the world barbers would set up shop underneath those flickering lights.) He slipped into a back chamber and came face to face with his friends.   
His old gang.   
  
In a city of rather large size, boasted as the largest in Johto, which it was, gangs were an added feature. Merlin's old gang, the Holders of Magic, were an odd bunch, but he trusted each and every one with his life. They numbered few, but they were tough fighters all--them and their Pokemon.   
  
There were Dragon--a boy with fierce eyes and strange, messy green hair...Phoenix, an even fiercer girl with red eyes and orangey hair..and still others. Each one had the name of a magical creature or a famous wizard.   
  
"Merlin! You're back!" Unicorn said. A younger girl with soft blonde hair that betrayed just how lethal she was, she was the most optimistic and cheerful of the group. Merlin smiled at her and said, "Yes, but we need help."   
  
"Who's in trouble?" Phoenix asked.   
  
"A group of people that live inside the Legendary Ring. Giovanni is going to try and tear it down with great force.   
  
"Inside...!" Dragon muttered.   
  
"Yeah, Drac, inside." Merlin said, using Dragon's nickname. The fierce boy seemed to think for a moment.   
  
"Well, we'll just have to help defeat Giovanni using our wits." another gang member said.   
  
"Right on!" Unicorn exclaimed.   
  
"So you're with me?" Merlin asked.   
  
"Definately!"   
  
"All the way."   
  
Merlin was happy. It wasn't looking so hopeless after all.   
  


---

  
  
_She drifted up out of the water, shaking the clinging droplets off of her fur, and faced the golden one.   
  
"There is danger..." he said quietly.   
  
" I know it." she replied evenly.   
  
"There might still be chaos..."   
  
"I know it, my brother. Rouse the others." she told him. For all that he was so powerful, he was so young.   
  
"Yes, my sister." he said. With one great dip of his beautifully colored wings, he was away through the sky._   
  


---

  
  
Giovanni surveyed the progress of the team...perfect...they'd be there before long...and...   
  
Kaboom.   
  
If he didn't get the Legendary Ring open, he'd simply destroy the world.   
  
_To be continued..._


	6. The Rescue Begins

The Crimson Dragonite

The Crimson Dragonite

Chapter 6

"The Rescue Begins"

By: Shadow~Of~Shadows

Author's Notes: Oh crap, I was looking through my fics and realized this hadn't been updated since April.Instantly my muses glared at me viciously and told me to stop procrastinating and WRITE!Feel free to email me at [lonelyshadow42@yahoo.com][1] and kick me viciously for not writing faster, and to kick me viciously and tell me to WRITE faster.

Disclaimer: They sell Pokemon toys, they sell Pokemon videos, and they sell Pokemon games.They do not sell control over Pokemon and all things therein, or I'm sure someone would have bought it at one point or another, myself included.So, needless to say, I DON'T OWN POKEMON!

-~-

"So how do we get to this legendary ring?" Unicorn piped up, looking around the circle of gang members.

"Easy one there." Said Gryphon, another gang member with brown hair that he pulled into a short ponytail.He pulled out a Pokeball and held it up to the light.

"We fly."

-~-

_The golden one flew._

_He flew until his wings trembled and ached from the flying, and until his song became mournful and pained instead of light and joyous. _

_He flew as the sun set and the moon rose, as the stars made their leisurely path through the heavens, as the waves rose and the wind blew._

_Onward he flew._

-~-

Merlin ran out of the hideout and looked around.A good bit of time had passed, and he wondered where Maria and Lyra were.Just then he heard a shout from behind him and turned to see the two girls dressed in all new clothes and carrying accessories.

Maria was now wearing a pair of camouflage colored pants and a t-shirt, and carried two backpacks.She tossed one to Merlin when he was close enough.

"That's for you." She supplied.

Lyra had picked up a pair of khaki pants and a blue t-shirt from somewhere, and had a backpack and a pair of sunglasses as her own.As Merlin watched, her Pichu poked her head out of the backpack and waved at him before ducking back inside.Merlin smiled.

Remembering the task at hand, he turned to the two girls."I met up with some friends of mine…okay, my old gang." He swallowed and licked his lips."Lyra, we're going to save the place you came from, because Giovanni is likely to totally destroy it in his haste to get inside.Therefore, our rescue attempt will have two divisions, sea and air.All will travel there by air; but at the end the sea division will remain in the water while the air division conducts an aerial defense." He said.

The two girls nodded slowly.

"With me, you two will be in the air division.We need to leave as soon as possible.I hope you're fully equipped?" he asked.

"Yes.C'mon, let's go get your friends and get out of here."

Before long, an odd and mix-matched assortment of flying Pokemon were winging their way towards the legendary ring.

-~-

Shadow sighed, watching the air team fly overhead.Just like them to go off and forget about her.She leapt up into a tree and roared loudly, alerting them of her presence.

Lyra, alone with Rex on Blood's back, turned towards the noise and saw Shadow standing in a tree.She guided Blood down and Shadow leapt onto the Dragonite's back.Without another word he flew faster, catching up.

Shadow remained silent, and the constant silence would have been unnerving if it wasn't for the fact that Lyra was a quiet person herself.

-~-

The Rocket fleet reached the legendary ring at last.

"Sir, we've found the ring.I repeat we've found the ring, over." One of the field commanders said through a communication feed.

"Excellent.Try and find a natural way in before we commence more devastating procedures." Giovanni ordered from the base in Viridian.

"Yes sir.Right away sir." The commander said back, and the feed died abruptly.

Giovanni allowed himself a chuckle.

-~-

_The sense of chaos and of destruction was growing stronger._

_The golden one sang out in anguish, and Pokemon rose to him, trying to calm him with their earthly voices even as he flew faster and faster._

_The others rose and followed.The weather grew strange._

_Strange weather was no match for worldwide destruction._

-~-

Maria looked up from her seat behind Merlin on the Aerodactyl's back."It's…It's snowing…" she said quietly.

Merlin looked at the snow, his mouth set in a grim line."Not good.Something bad's going on." He turned to the fleet and shouted as loudly as he could. 

"FASTER!"

The others nodded and their Pokemon flapped their wings harder.

-~-

The icy one looked over this fleet of manmade ships and turned to the fiery one, a foe most times, an ally now. 

_"Destroy the ships!Destroy!Destroy!" she shouted, spitting a beam of ice at one of the ships and encasing it in a crackle of clear blue._

_"Destroy!Burn!Destroy it by fire!By lightning!By ice!" the fiery one shrieked, spitting flames at another ship._

It burned.

-~-

"Giovanni!Sir!Something's attacking the fleet!" the commander shouted urgently.

The rocket boss swore."What is it?" 

"Fire and ice!" the man shouted.

Giovanni shivered.That didn't sound good…

"Put up the shields!Don't give up!" he roared.

The commander muttered a reply and signed off.

-~-

The small number of gang members on their flying Pokemon arrived, after hours of being baked and frozen.They'd made good progress, and were astonished to see that the ships were being attacked.They couldn't see the attackers, but decided that since a defense was being mounted, they'd go to take out the main part of the resistance, obviously on the largest ship.

Blood looked up."Missiles.They have missiles."

Merlin's eyes widened.He swore.

"Merlin." 

The black haired ex-rocket looked over his shoulder at his partner.

"I can hack.I can take care of those missiles.Let's do it!If it gets too bad, they might just set them all off at once, and that would be catastrophic."

Merlin debated with himself for a moment, then sighed and nodded.

"All right everyone!Let's go!" he shouted loudly.

A ragged bunch of cheers rose from behind him, and the Pokemon dove, flying among the fleet, staying out of sight as best they could.

Rescue was on its way!

To be continued… 

   [1]: mailto:lonelyshadow42@yahoo.com



	7. The End Has Many Forms

The Crimson Dragonite

The Crimson Dragonite

Chapter 7

"The End Has Many Forms"

By: Shadow~Of~Shadows

Author's Notes: Here's the end of TCD.I hope you enjoyed this story.If you'd like a sequel, I'm open to suggestions.Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Shadow doesn't own Pokemon.She just chooses to write stories about it/them.

-~-

The small fleet of flying Pokemon reached the main ship and let off their passengers then went to help the legendary birds.It wouldn't be much longer, by the looks of the fleet.

Maria raced along the deck of the ship, looking for a door in.She'd been on this ship before, and that simple fact shocked her desperately.She kicked in a door and tapped in a code on a panel, the motioned for Merlin to come in behind her.Shadow managed to slip in behind him before the door closed.

Lyra stood on the deck, feeling hopelessly alone.Blood hovered nearby, ready to take off if needed.It was boring.

Maria slipped further into the bowels of the ship, tapping out passcodes as she went.Merlin followed her dutifully, and before long, they'd reached the inner workings of the ship.The only thing was that it had been easy.Terribly easy.

The main screen lit up and Giovanni gave the two ex-Rockets a serious look.He then smirked and reached for a large red button on a panel."Well well well." He said, his tone of voice loaded with sarcasm and mockery as his fingers idly twitched back and forth over the button.

Merlin nearly swore.They'd come this far just to be outdone.Just then he felt, rather than heard, something slip away.Shadow!Of course!

"Sir." Merlin said, hiding all expressions.

"Merlin, Merlin, Merlin.What did I tell you?" Giovanni said."That if you ever ran away…"

Merlin looked at the floor.Maria stared at her friend in bewilderment.

"And you, Maria.You know what I said would happen.It can still happen."

Maria looked up, a horrified expression filling her face.They both watched as Giovanni's fingertips danced mere millimeters from the button's surface.

Just then a wire shorted out somewhere in the computer banks, followed by a rabid cascade of blue sparks that sizzled over the computer panel.Fully half of the screens turned dark, and the missile-warning screen suddenly shut off.Shadow had done her job.

Giovanni, furious, punched the button.Nothing happened.The two teens sighed in relief.

Just then, evil laughter sounded from before them.They looked up in horror and saw the impossible.

"Leafeon!" they both shouted at the same time.They looked at each other, then back at Giovanni, their hearts torn.

"One false move and this Pokemon dies.I want you to hook up those missiles again, and then destroy the legendary ring.Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Giovanni said in his most quiet and deadly tone.

"Yes sir." Merlin said through gritted teeth.The two teens got to work quickly.

-~-

Outside, Lyra got cold as Articuno made yet another dive nearby.Just then Blood's head perked up.

"Danger." He said quietly."We're in danger!Chaos is coming!"

"Chaos?" Lyra asked.She jumped onto Blood's back and sank close to his naturally hot skin to guard against the chill."What kind of chaos?" 

"What kind?It's all the same." Blood said, and then swung his head around.Lyra made sure Rex was safe in hi Pokeball, then looked up at the nearby legendary ring.Until just a short while before, that had been her home.The thought gave her a funny jolt.

Just then a screech came from above.A giant golden Pokemon dropped from the clouds and flapped his great wings once, then twice.Lyra and Blood were knocked back against the ship by the sheer force of the gust.

"Warning!Go warn your friends that what they hope against is an ILLUSION!" he screeched. "Go!Tell them now, or the world will go!"

Lyra, horrified by the might and the aura of the Pokemon, leapt onto the deck again and ran towards the door Maria had entered earlier.It sprang open under her hand as if by magic.She ran through and proceeded to run through the bowels of the ship.

It was just taking so much time!

-~-

Merlin hooked two more wires together.It was nearly complete.One more pair of wires…there they went.Hooked together perfectly.

Maria turned to look at Giovanni. "It's done." She said.

Giovanni smirked and leaned forward a bit just as Lyra burst into the doors.

"It's an illusion!What you're hoping against is an illusion!" she shrieked.Maria, Merlin, and Giovanni all rocked back, but Merlin's quick mind digested the equation and he reached forward, taking hold of all the wires and jerking them out just as Giovanni slammed on the button.

After a moment of darkness, an explosion rang out and knocked the ship aside.The three teenagers were slammed viciously against one side of the boat.

"We didn't make it." Merlin said, paler than ever.

"Leafeon…" Maria whispered quietly.

"Blood! No!Blood!" Lyra shouted.She lurched to her feet and ran up the crazily tilting stairs.Maria and Merlin followed her path with their eyes, and then ran after her.Shadow leapt out of a nearby closet and followed them as the ship listed terribly to one side.

The three emerged on the tilting deck to find missiles flaring off from the ships and being destroyed by legendary Pokemon left and right.Blasts of different powers and strengths hit the missiles, knocking them off course or making them explode early.The results devastated the fleet but not the world.Lyra looked hopeful, and just at that moment Blood flew to destroy a missile.

Something was different about this one; it was a bit bigger and had a flashing light near the end.Lyra noticed a moment too late as Blood hit the thing with a fire blast and the resulting explosion threw him back into the fleet, impaling him hopelessly on a pile of jagged metal.

"NO!" she screamed.She would have leapt into the water to swim to him if Merlin had not gently grabbed her arm to stay her progress.She watched, tears dripping from her eyes, as the legendary Pokemon quickly mopped up the scene.

At long last, the golden Pokemon flew by again, and she screamed at him as loudly as she could.He turned one giant black-ringed eye to look at her just as a pink creature flickered into existence and floated nearby.

"My…Blood!Blood!" she said, pointing.The two Pokemon turned and, upon seeing the dying Dragonite, lurched horribly in their progress and rushed over to him.Just as they turned aside, two more Dragonites appeared, a black one and one that was clear and see-through, like diamonds. 

"Blood!" she screamed one last time, leaning half over the rail, trying to get as close to her Pokemon as she could.The crimson colored Dragonite tilted his head and looked at her hazily from such a far distance away and then closed his eyes.It was the end.

The black and crystal Dragonites observed the whole affair with a calm look, and then landed beside their son.They looked once more to Lyra, then back at the dying Dragonite.Then, with solemn voices raised high, they began to chant a spell.

As the spell wore on, the legendary Pokemon gathered around, though whether it was to offer their power to the Dragonites or simply to watch, no human could tell.At long last, the spell was done, with a soundless explosion and a flash of bright light.

The first change was so obvious that almost all of them didn't even notice straight off.When they did their jaws dropped.The Legendary Ring was gone.In its place stood a perfectly normal island.

The second change stood shakily on his now human legs and looked up and around at the legendary Pokemon circling him, running a hand through his crimson-colored hair nervously.His black eyes took in his human body and clothing with mild disbelief before the Pokemon cleared their throats as one to speak.The Black Dragonite spoke first.

"You are and were our son.You were the crimson Dragonite and you would have been legendary had you remained alive.However, you died, and the devotion of a human saved you.Her wishes allowed us to create a human form for you.Pokemon blood, the blood of dragons, swims in your veins, but you are human as well.Live on as the Crimson Dragonite in memory only, for you are now only an Illusion of a Dragon.Join the humans who are now your kin, Illusi Dracon.

The Crystal Dragonite swept Blood, no, Illusi to the now stationary boat deck.He stepped shakily onto it, not trusting his weak human legs and not having a tail to balance with.Suddenly, he felt something hit him, and hit him hard.

Lyra had launched herself at the boy who was once her Pokemon and now clung to him with a single-minded desperation, determined to never let go.Unfortunately, Illusi needed to breathe, and finally was forced to try and pry her away.She stepped back, a bit embarrassed, and the humans looked around at the sky, the island, and the ocean.The legendary Pokemon faded one by one, going out with distinctive cries.The Black and Crystal Dragonites were last, and waved goodbye to their once-son as they left.

Illusi had no choice but to sit down hard.

"So." Merlin asked, as cheerily as he could manage, "What's it like being a Pokemon?"

-~-

Illusi quickly became good friends with Merlin and Maria and didn't complain when he had to ride with the other three humans and Shadow on the back of an Aerodactyl.It seemed that cheating death had given him a brand-new outlook on life and he wasn't wasting it.

The friends met up with the rest of Merlin's gang and the whole troupe went to the island to meet up with the locals, who were gathering on the beaches, hushed and afraid.The whole ocean spread before them, something previously unseen.

Lyra leapt off of the Aerodactyl's back and ran to find her family.They were soon found and despite their chastising her for not wearing a proper dress, they were really quite happy to have her back.

"I made it.I escaped." Lyra said proudly.The people of the island laughed, even as they led her and her friends off to have some dinner.

-~-

"…and so that's really what's been going on all this time." Merlin finished, looking around at the surprised and shocked faces that surrounded the table.He shrugged and took another bite of the roasted meat on the table.He hadn't had food this good for quite a while."I'm sorry it came so suddenly."

"No." one of the elders said."It was for the best I think."

"Well, we'll be going after we sleep a bit I figure…" Merlin started.

"I'm staying here." Lyra announced quietly.Merlin and Maria looked at her in astonishment, but just then Illusi spoke too.

"If Lyra is staying here, I will as well." He said.The others sighed and nodded.It would probably be for the best.

-~-

About a month later, Merlin and Maria headed back towards the Legendary Island to visit their friends.

"You know, you never told me how you knew about Leafeon." Maria told her partner as they were flying along.

"Well…it's a long story…but mainly the story goes that my parents were in league with yours—don't look so shocked…I know about your real parents, yes.Anyway, there were two Leafeons created, not just one." He finished.

Maria sighed, and then wrapped her arms a bit tighter around Merlin's waist."Well, nice to know there's somebody out there with the same problem as me." She said with a slight chuckle.

"Problem?" Merlin said innocently."Mine's a perfect DEAR…"

"Oh quiet, you." Maria said again as the Aerodactyl flew onward into the evening sky.

-~-

The End

-~-

Supplemental Author's Notes:

I don't know if I'm going to be writing another Pokemon fanfic apart from the possible sequel to this one, and I'll only write a sequel to this one if I get enough positive feedback.I'm much more attached to the Gundam Wing and Escaflowne fandoms now, but I will continue writing Pokemon if I get more positive feedback!If you prefer email, feel free to drop me a line at [lonelyshadow42@yahoo.com][1] and I'll read your comments there.Anyway, it's been great, see you later!

~Shadow

   [1]: mailto:lonelyshadow42@yahoo.com



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